Brooks by Kali Hart

Author:Kali Hart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jackie M. Wallick

7

CHARLOTTE

“Why are your panties on the lampshade?” Adalyn asks the next afternoon, warning me I’ve been officially busted. Not only does she not know about the kiss Brooks and I shared on the hiking trail, she has no clue he spent the night in my bed last night. Making me cry out his name over and over.

“I’m redecorating.”

“You’re a terrible liar.” She pins me with a stare that warns me we might not make it out of my cabin until I give her an explanation that satisfies her. But I’m not ready to confess my secret rendezvous with a certain sexy Army veteran. I’m not ready to admit that two months into my one-year plan, I already caved. So, I try to divert instead.

“You ready to go hiking or what?”

“Fine. But only because I have plans later.”

“Plans?” I ask, relieved when I finally get her outside and am able to lock my door behind us. “What plans?”

“If you’re not telling, then I’m not either.”

“Is this about Jett?”

Adalyn flashes me a malicious grin. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“It is.”

“Didn’t say it is or isn’t.” She stops in the middle of the dirt road and stares at me. “Are you sleeping with Brooks?”

I should’ve expected that the woman I’ve known most of my life would try to throw me with such a blunt question. But I was too distracted remembering all the ways Brooks gave me orgasms last night to keep myself from blushing my admission.

“You are!”

“Can we please just get to the trail?” I ask, afraid that any of the people wandering the dirt roads of Three Rivers might actually live here and recognize the juicy gossip for what it is.

“Fine, but I’m not dropping this.”

The trail I picked today is one of the steeper ones. Adalyn tries multiple times to incinerate me with her glare of unappreciation. But the exercise is cathartic, even if my legs are a bit wobbly from last night.

“How can you be smiling when we’re so close to dying?” Adalyn demands.

“The scenic overlook is completely worth it,” I say, ignoring the meat of her question. “Just wait until you see it.” Because the trail only gets steeper, we trek along in panted silence until we reach the end.

The view stuns us both.

“You should paint this,” Adalyn says, all malice gone from her voice.

“That’s my plan.” I only brought a sketchpad and some colored pencils but it, along with a few photos, will be enough to inspire my next painting. I’m getting better, and I hope that someday a painting of this scenic view will be my first one sold.

“You talk to Rachel?” Adalyn asks.

“Yeah.” I narrow my eyes at her as I settle on a flat rock. “You shouldn’t have talked to her about selling my paintings. Not without my permission.”

“Why not?”

I take my time pulling out my supplies, pretending to ignore Adalyn’s impatience. “I’m not ready to show anyone. You know that. I’m still mastering my techniques.”

“How many years are you going to use that excuse?” she presses as I start to sketch out the scene before me.

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